Search results for "Biochemistry"

Self-Complementary Dimers of Oxalamide-Functionalized Resorcinarene Tetrabenzoxazines

2018

Self‐complementarity is a useful concept in supramolecular chemistry, molecular biology and polymeric systems. Two resorcinarene tetrabenzoxazines decorated with four oxalamide groups were synthesized and characterized. The oxalamide groups possessed self‐complementary hydrogen bonding sites between the carbonyls and amide groups. The self‐complementary nature of the oxalamide groups resulted in self‐included dimeric assemblies. The hydrogen bonding interactions within the tetrabenzoxazines gave rise to the formation of dimers, which were confirmed by single‐crystal X‐ray diffractions analysis and supported by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The self‐included dimers were connected b…

On the Way to Optoionics

2020

Discussions with Michael Grätzel, Ursula Röthlisberger, Robert A. Evarestov and Bettina V. Lotsch are gratefully acknowledged.

Influence of odorant metabolism on human olfactory perception

2018

The sense of smell permits the perception of volatile substances commonly known as odors. This sense plays an important role in the feeding and wellness of individuals because it involves exchanges with their environment (search for food or partners, predators detection…). The efficiency of the olfactory system mainly relies on its sensitivity depending on the odorant affinity for their olfactory receptors but also on an enzymatic clearance mechanism of odorants which involves the Odorant metabolizing Enzymes (OME) to avoid the saturation of the receptors. Recent studies have shown that the biotransformation of odorants by EMO, in the olfactory epithelium, participates in the olfactory perc…

Expression and characterization of the recombinant juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase (JHEH) from Manduca sexta.

1998

The cDNA of the microsomal Juvenile Hormone Epoxide Hydrolase (JHEH) from Manduca sexta was expressed in vitro in the baculovirus system. In insect cell culture, the recombinant enzyme (Ms-JHEH) was produced at a high level (100 fold over background EH catalytic activity). As expected, Ms-JHEH was localized in the microsomal fraction with a molecular mass of approximately 50 kDa. Ms-JHEH showed a substrate and inhibitor spectrum similar to the wild type JHEH isolated from eggs of M. sexta. Its enzymatic activity was the highest for Juvenile Hormone III. Ms-JHEH hydrolyzed several trans-epoxides faster than cis-epoxides. A putative hydroxyl-acyl enzyme intermediate was isolated suggesting a …

A survey on sleep assessment methods

2018

Purpose A literature review is presented that aims to summarize and compare current methods to evaluate sleep. Methods Current sleep assessment methods have been classified according to different criteria; e.g., objective (polysomnography, actigraphy…) vs. subjective (sleep questionnaires, diaries…), contact vs. contactless devices, and need for medical assistance vs. self-assessment. A comparison of validation studies is carried out for each method, identifying their sensitivity and specificity reported in the literature. Finally, the state of the market has also been reviewed with respect to customers’ opinions about current sleep apps. Results A taxonomy that classifies the sleep detect…

The Life Cycle of the Mu-Opioid Receptor

2020

Opioid receptors (ORs) are undisputed targets for the treatment of pain. Unfortunately, targeting these receptors therapeutically poses significant challenges including addiction, dependence, tolerance, and the appearance of side effects, such as respiratory depression and constipation. Moreover, misuse of prescription and illicit narcotics has resulted in the current opioid crisis. The mu-opioid receptor (MOR) is the cellular mediator of the effects of most commonly used opioids, and is a prototypical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) where new pharmacological, signalling and cell biology concepts have been coined. This review summarises the knowledge of the life cycle of this therapeutic …

Plasma membrane glycoproteins covalently bound to silica beads as a model for molecular studies of cell-cell interactions in culture.

1987

Abstract In previous studies, we have shown that plasma membrane glycoproteins are of major importance in the density-dependent regulation of growth of normal diploid fibroblasts. Due to the hydrophobic portions of these molecules, functional studies in cell culture are often diffucult to perform and to interpret. Specially, the addition of these molecules in soluble form to cell culture, after depletion of detergents needed for their solubilization, leads to aggregation and internalization. Therefore, we developed a method for the covalent immobilization of the solubilized plasma membrane proteins to derivatized silica beads for further investigations on the molecular nature of the active …

Human olfactory communication: current challenges and future prospects

2020

Although anthropologists frequently report the centrality of odours in the daily lives and cultural beliefs of many small-scale communities, Western scholars have historically considered the sense of smell as minimally involved in human communication. Here, we suggest that the origin and persistence of this latter view might be a consequence of the fact that most research is conducted on participants from Western societies who, collectively, were ratherold(adults),deodorizedanddesensitized(ODD) to various aspects of olfactory perception. The view is rapidly changing, however, and this themed issue provides a timely overview of the current state-of-the-art on human chemocommunication. Based …

Just lip prints? No: there could be something else

2004

The impact of coffee on health

2013

Abstract Objective Coffee is a beverage used worldwide. It includes a wide array of components that can have potential implication on health. We have reviewed publications on the impact of coffee on a series of health outcomes. Methods Articles published between January 1990 and December 2012 were selected after crossing coffee or caffeine with a list of keywords representative of the most relevant health areas potentially affected by coffee intake. Results Caffeine, chlorogenic acids and diterpenes are important components of coffee. Tolerance often acts as a modulator of the biological actions of coffee. There is a significant impact of coffee on the cardiovascular system, and on the meta…